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Grades level iconsGrades 6–10
Session time icon5 Sessions: 1 Hour
Genre information iconMemoir, Narrative
Resource type iconLessons

Looking Out the Window: A Place Memoir

Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC
Emotions play a big role in how we remember places important to us. Students explore this notion by writing memoirs, using plot, dialogue, and description to bring their stories to life.
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2 Student Writing Samples
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Grades 5–6
Lessons
How to Write a How-To

by Jory John, 826 Valencia

Informational

Students will explore the essentials of an effective “how-to” piece, while considering their own areas of interest and expertise to share with their peers and the world at large.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Artifact Detectives

by Louise McCune, 826 Valencia

Informational
Narrative

Working as budding archaeologists, students use artifacts as inspiration for several short writing pieces.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
Social Justice Poetry: Listening to the Trees

by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC

Poetry

Students examine relationships between art, poetry, politics, and current events, and reflect on personal experiences while writing social justice poetry.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
A Superpowered Comics Lesson

by Ashlyn Anstee, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Media
Narrative

Using the classic battle between superheroes and villains as inspiration, students will create their own twist on a superhero comic, featuring believable characters and Marvel-worthy dialogue.

Grades 4–6
Lessons
Miracle Elixir: Inventing Potions to Cure Baldness and Other Things the World Needs Right Now

by Paris Hyun, 826LA

Informational
Persuasive

Students play the role of benevolent inventor. They identify and think critically about real world problems, and create an ingredients list and usage instructions for an elixir that fixes the problem.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
It Ain’t Just Bananas

by Kelly Jones, 826 New Orleans

Informational
Poetry

Through writing, drawing, mapping, and researching a chosen fruit, students will become more familiar with the often complex history of food and how people access it.

Grades 6–9
Lessons
Our Values

by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC

Informational

Students will work in a collaborative, constructive setting to create a vision for your classroom as a safe space for students and teachers.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Plant Explorers

by Rebecca Darugar, 826NYC

Informational
Narrative
STEM

Students investigate the plant life that grows within their community and then select a specific species to learn about in-depth and consider how that species interacts with the overall ecosystem.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Rules, Rules, Rules

by Mindy Misener, 826michigan

Poetry

Students learn how poetry can “break the rules” then practice breaking the “rules” in their own poems by challenging the expectations, assumptions, and principles their work set up.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Meet Your Protagonist!

by Ryan Harty, 826michigan

Narrative

By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.

Grades 7–12
Lessons
Write with Pride: An LGBTQIA+ Writing Workshop

by Molly Sprayregen, 826CHI

Informational
Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

Over the course of this lesson, students produce memoirs, poems, and essays that explore what it means to be a member of the LGBTQIA community in America today.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Super Sentences Rhymes

by Naomi Solomon, 826NYC

Poetry

In this lesson, students will learn about different types of rhymes, identify rhymes in lyrics and generate rhymes to use in their own lyrics.

Grades 3–6
Lessons
Odes to Ordinary Objects

by Ashley Smith, 826 Valencia

Poetry

Students find gratitude all around as they thank ordinary objects in their lives in the form of an ode.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
Low Down Dirty Maps

by Saiya Miller, 826 New Orleans

Informational
Media
Narrative

Students will collect dirt, map their neighborhood, and listen to music that explores low sound, depth of soil, and the psychological landscape of New Orleans.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Story Threads: Art, Identity, and Community

by 826 National

Narrative
Poetry

Stories are the thread that connect communities. In this lesson, students learn more about culture and identity through Dakota and Hmong textile arts, as well as reflect on their own identities.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Fantasy Sports: Designing Games That You (or Elves or Dragons) Want to Play

by AT Bianchi & Kati Shanks, 826michigan

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
STEM

In this lesson, students imagine a fictional sport for fantastic beings, create a statistic for that sport, and write a newspaper article about the championship game.

Grades 7–8
Lessons
A Poem Mix Tape for Road Trips

by Catherine Calabro, with inspiration from Rachel Feder, 826michigan

Poetry

Your students will use free writes, writing games, cheesy pop lyrics, and revision strategies to learn how to make connections between all of the points on their journey of writing a poem.

Grades 5–8
Lessons
The Science of Superpowers

by Mariama J. Lockington & Peter Calhoun Hall, 826NYC

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Poetry
STEM

In this superlesson, students isolate DNA, design planes, build lairs, and engineer safe transport to help a hero save the day. Students will also take technical notes and explore new forms of poetry.

Grades 5–9
Lessons
Write for the Flood City Gazette!
by New Leaf Literary & Media

by Daniel José Older, author of Flood City.

Informational
Media

Students will work together to produce a newspaper for the fictional Flood City. In the process, they will take on the roles of editor and journalist to source, draft, and present their newspaper.

Grades 6–9
Lessons
Dramarama!

by Debra Mitchell, 826CHI

Media
Memoir
Narrative

Students become script detectives in this lesson, searching for the underlying structure of every play. Student then draw from memories to inspire original plays.

Grades 3–9
Lessons
Beyond the Page: Writing Graphic Novels

by Klariza Alvaran, 826CHI

Media
Narrative

In this lesson, students explore the graphic novel genre with a focus on plot and character development, scripting dialogue, and visual composition.

Grades 5–8
Lessons
Ekphrastic Poetry

by Jillian Wasick, 826 Valencia

Poetry

Students write ekphrastic poems, exploring and creating connections between text and image.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Working Superheroes

by Jane Roschen, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Media
Narrative

This lesson prompts students to explore the exciting range of things they can do when they grow up and highlights the importance of education, curiosity, and role models.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
Talking to Ghosts: Stories in the Cities of the Dead

by Aran Donovan, 826 New Orleans

Informational
Media
Poetry

Students (virtually) explore a local cemetery and write a monologue from a famous person buried there, including facts from their research and imagined details from a mapping exercise.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Misunderstood Monsters

by Lindsay Ringwald, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

In this lesson, students will imagine a narrative in the form of a craigslist advertisement to showcase a typically scary monster as a down to earth creature.

Grades 7–8
Lessons
Concrete Poems

by Mallory Miller, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, students will construct a short narrative told through concrete poems.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Meet Your Protagonist!

by Ryan Harty, 826michigan

Narrative

By examining patterns in engaging published stories and applying a set of meaningful prompts, students will learn how to develop well-rounded characters that readers really care about.

Grades 4–12
Lessons
Essential Words: Letters of Gratitude to Essential Workers

by Cristeta Boarini, 826MSP, and Skylar Burkhardt, 826 National

Informational
Narrative
Persuasive

Few expressions of gratitude are more meaningful than a personalized letter. In this lesson, students reach out to essential workers and return their acts of service and kindness by giving thanks.

Grades 7–12
Lessons
The Pandemic and Creative Communities

by Dr. Anne Desrosiers and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia

Narrative
Poetry

The COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives. This lesson will support students in processing the changes in their everyday lives and help them to identify the creativity their community has exhibited.

Grades 6–12
Lessons
No Lab Coats Required: The Poetry Laboratory

by Katie Manning and Brandon Brown, 826LA

Poetry

Students enter The Poetry Laboratory, no lab coats required, and use methods of observation and playful strategies to embark on the process of writing poetry.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Amazing Stories

by Nathalie Lagerfeld & Jill Carey, 826CHI

Fantasy/SciFi
Media
Narrative

Borrowing inspiration from out-of-this-world illustrations, students will create an amazing sci-fi story with a fantastical setting, realistic characters, and page-turning plot.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
Change the Ending, Take Back Your Power

by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, students explore the genres of historical and speculative fiction before they reimagine a time they felt powerless and write a different outcome.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Infinite Recess

by Emily Clader & Daniel Reck, 826michigan

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative
Poetry
STEM

Students will create infinite poems using fractals, imagine life on a doughnut, and speculate about a universe where time goes crazy. Along the way, they'll explore cool, new math facts and concepts.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
Cataloging Gratitude

by 826 National

Poetry

What happens when we start from a place of gratitude? In this lesson, students will use Ross Gay’s "Catalog of Unabashed Gratitude" as a catalyst for a daily gratitude journal.

Grades 3–6
Lessons
Take a Stand: Anti-Bullying Skits
by Cartoon Network

by Jessica Barbaria, 826NYC

Informational

In this lesson, students dive into the many forms bullying can take, create scripts and role-play bullying scenarios, and reflect on their own experiences with bullying.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Trading Lives: Be a Superhero (or a Wizard or a Vampire) for a Day

by Kim Adelman, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Media
Narrative

In this lesson, students imagine trading lives with a fictional character for a day and write about the fantastic possibilities that would ensue.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
You Can’t Mix Oil and Water

by Erin Ruane, 826 New Orleans

Informational
STEM

In this lesson, students are challenged to reevaluate the way water and land are represented on a map.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
How to Write a Fan Letter Without Getting a Restraining Order

by Lisa Lutz, 826 Valencia

Informational

In this lesson by a young adult author and self-confessed superfan Lisa Lutz, students will learn letter-writing tips and create a fan letter.

Grades 7–8
Lessons
#TeamWolf: Writing Fairytales for Twitter

by Christopher Ankney, AT Bianchi, & Amy Wilson, 826michigan

Fantasy/SciFi
Media

Using Twitter as a storytelling medium, students will improve their understanding of perspective, editing for brevity, and the importance of word choice.

Grades 4–8
Lessons
King Cake Pourquoi Tales

by Kyley Pulphus, 826 New Orleans

Narrative

In this workshop, students will create a pourquoi tale, or origin story, of how a local delicacy came to be.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Inspired by Under Milk Wood

by Miriam Nash, Ministry of Stories and BBC History

Narrative
Poetry

In this lesson, students will emulate Dylan Thomas’ famous drama, Under Milk Wood. Students will create imaginative works of fiction that examine their neighborhood in order to bring it to life.

Grades 4–10
Lessons
Comedy Writing Inspired by Monty Python

by Gem Carmella, Ministry of Stories and BBC History

Media

In this Lesson, students will learn how to write comedy sketches inspired by "Monty Python’s Flying Circus."

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Details (Golden), Character (Immortal), and Setting (Rural India)

by Dave Eggers, 826 Valencia

Narrative

Over a flexible series of activities, students will learn to draw details from real life to create unforgettable characters and compelling stories.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
Map Your Streets & Tell Us Its Stories

by Allie Mariano, 826 New Orleans

Informational
Media
Narrative

Students will tell stories about their neighborhoods and create maps that document change. The end result is a better understanding of a map’s ability to demonstrate the history behind fixed points.

Grades 7–10
Lessons
Fake News: A Lesson in Media Literacy

by Stephanie Wykstra, 826NYC

Informational
Media

A student’s guide for evaluating evidence and learning to spot misleading and false information.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
State Your Claim: Argumentative Writing

by Alana Herron, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Persuasive

Students will craft an argument about a controversial topic they hold a personal connection to and record their argument to persuade their audience.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
LA Confidential

by Robert Paterno, 826LA

Informational
Narrative

A mock crime scene kick-starts this lesson, getting students to hone their inferencing skills and serving as inspiration for crime stories.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Be a Maker: Hashtag Activism and the Instagram Essay

by Laura Lisabeth, Ph.D, 826NYC

Media
Persuasive

In this lesson, students experiment with the multimodal composition of Instagram and use this social media platform to promote a social justice issue.

Grades 6–9
Lessons
Poets in Revolt!
by Amplifier.org

by Ola Faleti, 826CHI, with an introduction by Amanda Gorman, Inaugural Youth Poet Laureate of the U.S.

Poetry

The pen is mightier than the sword. In this lesson, students learn there's no better evidence of this than the poetry behind social movements.

Grades 6–7
Lessons
#SaveOurSlogans

by Meredith Goldberg-Morse, 826LA

Media
Persuasive

In this lesson, students write about a cause that they are passionate about, imagine how they can create change, and come up with slogans to convince other people to take action.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Whining Effectively; Or, How to Persuade Your Parents

by Abigail Jacobs & Taylor Jacobson, 826 Valencia & 826LA

Persuasive

This lesson teaches students to write proposals so convincing no parent can resist them.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Polishing a Poem

Inspired by Angela Iton and Precediha Dangerfield, 826 Valencia

Poetry

In this lesson, students will use mentor texts to hone their revision skills before turning to their own poetry drafts.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
Fairy Tale Reconstruction

by Marini Drobish, 826 Digital Educator Leader

Narrative

This lesson invites students to write a modern day fairy tale. Students will reconstruct classic fairy tales by choosing to focus on altering one story element: setting, point of view, or resolution.

Grades 9–12
Lessons
The Uncommon Essay for the Common Application

by Marya Spont-Lemus, 826CHI

Narrative

Through brainstorming and drafting activities, students will learn the basics of personal narrative writing and craft an essay that they can use for college, scholarships, job applications and more.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Writing to Discover

by Allison Peters, 826michigan

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

Discover what’s possible through writing. In this lesson, students will write a thrilling new story about their future selves inspired by their curiosity and imagination.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Choosing My Name

by Karla Brundage, 826 Valencia

Poetry

In this Lesson, students will further their understanding of how language can impact identity through the process of naming.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Build Your Own Treasure Hunt

by Neil Gordon, 826LA

Informational

Using precise, clear instructions, each student will create a treasure hunt document that provides clues for finding a treasure hidden in a location of their choosing.

Grades 6–9
Lessons
True Connections: Personal Experiences with Social Media

by Rebecca Darugar, Liz Levine, and Brancey Mora, 826NYC and 826 National

Informational
Media
Memoir
Narrative
Poetry

Invite students to write about their personal experiences with social media and online platforms with this lesson from 826NYC.

Grades 6–8
Lessons
Poetry as Retelling

by Aarti Monteiro, 826NYC

Narrative
Poetry

Students will read a poem by Eve L. Ewing and learn to write a poem that retells or reimagines an experience.

Grades 7–12
Lessons
Where I’m From Poems

by 826 National

Poetry

Inspired by George Ella Lyon’s original poem, this lesson guides students through naming the people, places, and things that have shaped them.

Grades 6–12
Lessons
Dear Election

by 826 New Orleans

Narrative
Persuasive

In this lesson, students have an opportunity to write a letter expressing their views on issues that matter to them most surrounding an election.

Grades 8–12
Lessons
(Judge)mental Distortions

by Tim Campos, 826 New Orleans

Narrative

Through discussion, map-making, and writing, students will investigate the ways in which our knowledge of places is constructed and will uncover the ways that this knowledge is distorted by biases.

Grades 7–8
Lessons
Rewriting the Zombie Apocalypse

by Julius Diaz Panoriñgan, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Narrative
STEM

Students explore multiple STEM disciplines and the importance of scientific modeling, all in context of an upcoming zombie apocalypse. They'll write technical notes and create an ongoing narrative.

Grades 7–12
Lessons
Inheritance: A Family Interview Project

by Cristeta Boarini, 826 MSP

Narrative

Students will identify something they have inherited from their families, conduct interviews, and write a narrative essay. This lesson is especially well suited for English Language Learners.

Grades 7–9
Lessons
Homestyle: Writing About the Place Where You Live

by Tom Molanphy, 826 Valencia

Informational
Narrative

Students will learn to see home in a fresh way, to walk through doors and open windows they never noticed, and to find the stories that home holds.

Grades 5–6
Lessons
Your Intergalactic National Park

by Jayne Kennedy, 826LA

Fantasy/SciFi
Informational
Narrative

Gather students around the metaphorical campfire to craft a brochure for a Nature Preserve on another planet, complete with wild critters, plant life, unique geological formations, and park history

Grades 1–6
Lessons
Heroes In the Community

by Rebecca Escoto and Cynthia Aguilar, 826LA

Informational
Narrative

Students will identify the characteristics of a hero, familiarize themselves with heroes in their own community, and write an explanatory piece identifying a hero in their community.

Grades 3–6
Lessons
Doors to the Future

by Dr. Bunny McFadden, 826 Valencia

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

Imagination opens doors to new possibilities. This lesson allows students to exercise their imaginations by describing an imaginary door to the future and picturing what is beyond it.

Grades 1–8, k
Lessons
Big Book of IFs

by 826 National, in partnership with Paramount Pictures

Fantasy/SciFi
Narrative

Imaginary friends come in all shapes and sizes! Inspired by the new Paramount Pictures movie, IF, students will create their own imaginary friend to take with them on their next adventure.

Grades 5–8
Lessons
Animal Poems

by Ellen Lathrop and Malia Urbina, 826 Valencia

Poetry

In this lesson, students will use descriptive language to write a poem about a favorite animal.

Grades 4–8
Lessons
Metaphoraging

by Bryan Wilson, Educator Leader, The Bureau of Fearless Ideas

Poetry

What do you get when you mix foraging with metaphors? Metaphoraging, of course! In this interactive lesson, students will forage their learning space for metaphors.